2018 Saint Francis Cougars football team

Robert Morris

The #1-ranked Cougars opened their back-to-back title defense with a home game against Robert Morris. The August home opener was the earliest opening date in the 21-year history of Cougar football.

Coming into the game, the Cougars were riding a 23-game win streak. In the end, the Cougars prevailed over RMU by a score of 42–9. The game featured a balanced offense that accumulated 208 yards passing and 180 yards rushing. The Cougars scored on 3 runs, 2 passes, and 1 kick-off return of 84 yards to open the second half. Transfer sophomore quarterback Matt Crable started his first game as a Cougar, completing 16 of 23 passes for 189 yards, good for 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. Justin Green ran for 113 yards and tallied 2 of the rushing touchdowns in addition to the kick-off return.

After a bye week, the Cougars resume play on the road in Joliet, Illinois. The Cougars face the MSFA's other USF, the St. Francis Fighting Saints.

St. Francis (IL)

The Cougars traveled to Joliet, Illinois in an MSFA crossover game against their namesake opponent from the Midwest League. At the final siren, the Indiana team won by a score of 49-19. It was a strong display on both offense and defense. The Cougars offense rolled up 534 yards of total offense while the defenders held the Fighting Saints to 208 yards. Defense against the rush was strong for each team. Cougar running back Justin Green was held to 51 net yards on 20 carries, an average of 2.6 yards per attempt. His longest run of the game was for 9 yards. The Cougars team was limited to 138 yards on 39 attempts, an average of 3.5 yard per carry. But their defense was even stingier, giving up 53 yards on 25 attempts, or 2.1 yard each try. Fighting Saints running back Dwayne Milton was the leading rusher in the game, netting 74 yards on 16 attempts, including a 35 yard run on the first play from scrimmage after the opening kick of the game.

Quarterback Matt Crable passed for 340 yards, finishing the game with 3 touchdown tosses and 0 interceptions. For the second game in a row, backup quarterback Clay Senerius also had a touchdown pass. The touchdown passes were 22 and 45 yards to Rocky James, 56 yards to Dan Ricksy, and 20 yards to Jahni Cooper. The other touchdowns were scored on a 1-yard run by Green, a 26-yard run by Eli Wallace, and a 21-yard pick-6 interception returned by Wilmer Cole.

St. Ambrose

The Cougars were effective at moving the ball forward, and they also had their share of moving the ball backward on penalties. The Cougars defeated the visiting St. Ambrose Fighting Bees 60-14. The Cougars collected 313 yards rushing on 42 attempts, or 7.5 yards per carry; they passed for 369 yards, connecting on 24 of 27 pass attempts and no interceptions; and they also had 244 yards on kick returns and an interception. For the second straight game, Wilmer Cole contributed a pick-6 interception return, and Mitchell Thornbury added a safety. Kicker Gavin Gardner opened the scoring with a field goal. On a down note, however, he lost his perfect season of point-after-touchdown kicks by hitting a goalpost, causing the ball to deflect wide in the second quarter.

The Cougars' offense was playing the game without their #1 running back Justin Green. Green was sidelined with an ankle injury that is expected to keep him out of play for only one week. Backup rushers took advantage of Green's absence to attain some impressive stats of their own. In a balanced attack, PJ Dean ran for 154 yards and 3 touchdowns, including one run of 76 yards. Eli Wallace added 79 yards and 1 touchdown, and Martell Williams contributed 76 yards and 1 touchdown. Quarterback Matt Crable added his second straight 300-yard game, throwing for 303 yards passing on 18 completions out of 20 attempts. The throws were good for 2 touchdowns, 1 each to Rocky James and Dan Ricksy. With the completion percentage of .900 (18/20), Crable established a new single-game record for Saint Francis quarterbacks attempting 20 or more passes in a game.

The Cougars' defense had an impressive game, holding the Bees' quarterback to 173 yards passing on 14 completions of 30 attempts. On 37 rushing attempts, the Bees achieved -29 yards. This was due to several tackles for losses, including 7 quarterback sacks totaling 35 yards.

For the game, the obvious shortfall for the Cougars was the number of penalties that were flagged. The Cougars received 17 penalties for an amazing 223 yards, including numerous calls for offensive holding and multiple plays that had multiple penalties called.

The Cougars are on the road again next Saturday. They return to Chicago to play the always-challenging Saint Xavier Cougars.

Saint Xavier

Two Saints, two Cougars, but only one could win. One hosting a Homecoming Day, the other a defending national champion. The scene was set for another rival game played without a trophy.

Saint Francis met its match as Saint Xavier's record coming into the game was deceptive. Two losses, one to the current #6 NAIA team, one to a Division I NCAA member. The swift, physical Saint Xavier defense provide many challenges for the USF offense. The SXU defenders recorded 5 sacks of quarterback Matt Crable, and they pressured him into several hurried pass attempts. On the day, Saint Xavier had more total yards, 327 to USF's 313. Saint Xavier won the passing battle 259 yards to 158. Saint Francis countered by winning the rushing contest 155 yards to 68. Each team's passes were only effective about half the time, with Saint Francis completing 16 of 30 attempts for 1 TD and no interceptions; Saint Xavier completed 23 of 44 attempts for 1 TD and 1 interception. The Saint Xavier TD was a 98-yard bomb that contributed much toward Saint Xavier's win in the offensive stats.

Right from the start, the defensive domination was noted. Saint Francis received the ball first after Saint Xavier deferred possession to the second half. The two teams traded several punts, and the first quarter ended in a scoreless tie.

The second quarter began with Saint Francis possessing the ball. Several plays, including two passes for 21 and 26 yards, moved the ball to the 1-yard line. PJ Dean rushed the ball for the game's first score. Dean was subbing as the main running back for the second straight game due to the absence of Justin Green with a minor injury. The extra point brought the score to 7-0 in favor of the visitors from Saint Francis.

Saint Xavier responded with a scoring drive of their own. But the drive stalled, so they kicked a field goal to trail 7-3.

With 2 minutes left in the half, Saint Francis forced and recovered a fumble at their own 45-yard line. In perhaps their most efficient drive of the day, Saint Francis moved down the field and scored with 20 seconds left, a 10-yard pass to Nick Brickens. The extra point gave USF a 14-3 lead at halftime.

After Saint Xavier punted when their 3rd quarter drive stalled, Saint Francis drove the ball down the field for another score. At 21-3, it looked like a blow-out was beginning. The next time USF got the ball, they punted again, this time a beauty that was downed on the SXU 2-yard line. But Saint Francis was stunned as a SXU receiver got behind a Saint Francis defender and raced down the sideline for a 98-yard TD. The play was the longest play ever completed against the Saint Francis defense. The extra point was missed, and the 3rd quarter ended 21-9.

The 4th quarter had drama of its own. A USF punt was blocked and returned for a Saint Xavier TD. That made the scored 21-16, and SXU was in upset mode. But later in the quarter, USF's Ryan Johnson intercepted a pass and returned it for a TD, the third straight game the defense had accomplished that feat. A failed extra point set the score at 27-16, close enough for a TD and field goal to tie the game. Saint Xavier scored the field goal on their next possession, bringing the score to 27-19 with 2:47 left in the game.

At that point, the USF defense stopped SXU one final time, and the victory was theirs.

During the game Saint Francis linebacker Piercen Harnish established the new record for tackles made in a career. He surpassed former NAIA National Player of the Year Brian Kurtz.

Marian

On paper, it was to be another classic rivalry game between these two respected NAIA football programs. One is the #1 two-time defending NAIA national champion;the other, currently #6, appeared in the championship game for two straight years before that, winning one title. Marian came in with the top-ranked offense in the MSFA Mideast League, while Saint Francis was #2. Marian came in with the #2 defense in the Mideast League, while Saint Francis was #3.

Sadly, the classic game never materialized. Marian dominated in virtually all statistical aspects of the game, in a manner that was more one-sided than the final score suggested. Marian won, 37-28, but they controlled the game from both sides of the line with relative ease.

The team statistics were quite telling: Marian pounded out 480 yards of total offense while holding Saint Francis to just 140 yards. Marian passed for 167 yards while yielding just 72 yards to the Cougars. And the rushing was even more lopsided: Marian won the rushing portion of the contest with 313 yards while holding USF to just 68 yards. Perhaps the most telling stat was the time of possession. Marian's offense controlled the ball for 40:12 of the 60 minute game clock.

The game broke quickly in favor of Saint Francis. Marian won the coin toss and chose to defer possession until the second half. The opening kick was then returned 91 yards; the only thing that prevented a touchdown was a desperation lunge by the kicker that tripped up sophomore runner Matt Kominkiewicz. From the Marian 9-yard line, Saint Francis needed 4 plays to push into the end zone for a quick 7-0 lead.

Marian took the following kickoff and marched down the field before their drive stalled. Their possession ended with a field goal attempt that sailed wide of the goalposts. The game then settled into a defensive struggle as the teams traded punts for most of the rest of the first quarter. The next break for Saint Francis when a fumble was recovered by the Cougars at Marian's 17 yard line. It took the Cougars four plays to score early in the second quarter to extend the lead to 14-0.

Marian's offense finally started clicking, and they scored on their next two possessions before the half. Missing one extra point attempt left USF ahead at halftime , 14-13.

The second half began with Marian receiving the kick and moving only 6 yards. They punted the ball, and they regained possession of the ball when USF call.ed for a fair catch and then fumbled the catch attempt. It took Marian just three plays to reach the endzone and take a 20-14 lead.

That Marian score was the first time this season that the Cougars had trailed in a game. When the following USF drive died, the Cougars punted the ball. Marian's had a drive going, advancing to their own 31-yard line. But on the next play, the Marian quarterback fumbled the snap, and USF defender Marcus Stepp scooped the ball and returned it for a 31-yard touchdown. This was the fourth consecutive game in which the Saint Francis had contributed to the scoring with a turnover returned for a touchdown. With the extra point kick, Saint Francis regained the lead, 21-20.

Marian was not impressed. They took the next kickoff and drove 61 yards on only four plays to regain the lead 27-21. After Saint Francis punted once again, Marian consumed over 8 minutes on the clock. They drove 92 yards for another score, extending the lead to 34-21.

Finally, Saint Francis responded with a meaningful drive of their own. They marched 73 yards in only six plays, scoring a TD in less than three minutes of clock. That score left the Cougars trailing 34-28. But the score was too little, too late; Marian controlled the ball again, this time marching down and kicking a field goal to extend their lead to nine with nine seconds left on the game's clock. USF's fate was sealed. Their winning streak had been ended by the same team who had given them their last previous loss. (In fact, the Cougars' last three losses, dating back to 2015, have all come at the hands of the Marian Knights.)

The Cougars won 27 consecutive games during the run. Fans can find hope knowing that the Cougars rebounded from that last loss in 2016 to go on and claim their first national championship. The game revealed several things that can be worked on between now and a possible rematch when the yearly play-off season comes. Once again, Saint Francis played the game without their primary running back, Justin Green, playing at full strength. Green suited for the game, but his action was limited to 7 carries for 31 yards. After his last action, Green limped off the field. This was the fourth consecutive game that Green has either missed or seen limited playing action. Defensive pressure kept forcing quarterback Matt Crable to rush out of the pocket, hurry his throws or take sacks.

The Franciscan Bowl trophy was awarded to Marian as winner of this rival game. Marian now leads the trophy series, 2-1, while the entire Marian-Saint Francis rivalry is now tied with seven wins each. The game was played in front of a standing-room only crowd of 4,579.

Concordia

The anticipated rebound from last week's defeat never materialized. Once again, the Cougars experienced an upset loss, this time at the hands of the Concordia Cardinals. It was a defensive struggle. Our defense made only one mistake, but our offense was non-existent. After playing a scoreless first half, the Cougars kicked a field goal in the third quarter to take a lead, 3-0. The kick was Gavin Gardner's second attempt on the day, having missed a long field goal attempt to end the first half. But Concordia trumped our score with a touchdown in the fourth quarter. That was all the scoring; after 60 minutes of play, Concordia walked off the field with a 7-3 victory.

The loss hurt on many levels. It was the first time Saint Francis had lost two consecutive games since October 11, 2014. It was the first time the team lost to someone other than the Marian Knights since that same date, in a year when the Cougars lost three games in a row on their way to a 6-5 regular season with no subsequent playoff participation. That was the last time USF had lost two or more conference games. It was the first time that the Cougars had ever lost a game to Concordia. And perhaps most painful, the three-point production was the lowest score ever generated by any regular season team in the history of Saint Francis football.

Both defenses excelled at pressuring the offense and getting off the field. USF won the total offense battle, 231 yards to 174. The Cougars outgained Concordia through the air, 229 yards to just 63 yards by the home team. But the rushing offense was dominated by Concordia as the Cardinals tallied 111 yards to just 2 net yards by the Cougars. The Cougar effort was devestated by a whopping 10 quarterback sacks for a total of 62 yards. The leading Cougar rusher, PJ Dean, ran for 68 yards. But that effort was overshadowed by Concordia's Joe Conner, who gained 95 yards.

Each offense was limited to just one big play. USF's passing yards included one play for 57 yards, a fourth quarter trick play executed to try to get the offense moving. On the play, quarterback Matt Crable completed a short toss to Rocky James, who almost immediately turned hook-and-ladder style and lateraled the ball to Dan Ricksy. Ricksy sped down the right sideline for what looked to become a touchdown. Then, as a Concordia defender pushed Ricksy out of bounds, Dan turned and lateraled the ball back to an oncoming Will Chrisman. Chrisman advanced the ball several yards more, but the official ruled that Ricksy was out of bounds before he completed the toss.

Concordia's one big play was even more dramatic. On a fourth-and-2 play, running back took the ball to the left. He crossed the line of scrimmage near the left sideline before abruptly working his way across the field. After 31 yards, Conner had scored a touchdown, entering the end zone near the right sideline. The score gave Concordia the lead and the eventual win in the ballgame.

Injuries continued to impact the Cougars. Once again, running back Justin Green sat out the entire game. And defensive All-American Piercen Harnish was seen on the field for only one play when he lined up as protection on a punt. He sustained a noticeable injury in last week's loss to Marian.

With the second conference loss, Saint Francis now finds itself in the anxious position of needing some help to make the postseason to try to defend their back-to-back national titles. A third loss will almost certainly move them out of any hope to play in the postseason. The two losses means they will likely not be their conference champion, and that means the Cougars will need to finish high enough in the rankings to receive an at-large invitation to play in the playoffs. (Every conference champion who finishes ranked in the top 20 in the final regular season poll will receive an automatic berth in the playoff field; there are 12 conferences, so it is possible that only four at-large invitations will be available.)

Simply stated, the Cougar offense needs to get better production. From sputtering in recent games to nonexistent in the most recent contest, the Cougars have struggled on a significant number of recent offensive drives. In the Concordia game, quarterback Matt Crable attempted 34 passes for 229 yards and one interception. He ran the ball 12 times for a loss of 66 yards and one lost fumble. That's 46 plays for 163 yards net, or about 3.5 yards per play. The Cougars only ran 67 plays during the game. Whether the low output is attributed to poor blocking by the offensive line or poor execution on the part of the quarterback, or some combination of the two, things simply must get better.

The Cougars' next test will be their next game. Undefeated and top-25-ranked Siena Heights will visit Fort Wayne for another conference match. The Siena Heights defense is another highly-regarded group, and they will bring a challenge that will be comparable to the one faced in the two recent contests against Marian and Concordia. To get another shot at being the best, the Cougars will need to beat the best.

Siena Heights